​Safe Delivery - All Wrapped Up

6 March 2018

Eggs are famously fragile – and that goes for chocolate eggs too. With their beautiful tempered shells and intricate hand-crafted decorations, we know lots of people prefer to buy Easter eggs in person, just in case on online doesn’t arrive in perfect condition. But you needn’t worry, because we’re a little obsessive about parcels. From the materials we use to the way we pack, no delivery leaves our doors without being showered with the same love, care and craft that goes into the eggs themselves.

“Over the years we have developed lots of different techniques,” she says. “We do very robust postal trials. We send out to friends and family in the UK and further afield, so by the time a product is in our catalogue or online, we know it will arrive safely.”

(Yes, that does mean that a few lucky people in Australia will, from time to time, answer their door and receive a parcel from Harrogate filled with cake.)

Watch our film about how we lovingly pack each Easter parcel by hand - and enter our competition for a chance to win a bundle of Bettys eggs

A big part of keeping those products intact is to limit movement inside the parcel. That means using something called a ‘void filler’ and, for us, that’s EasyPack – essentially a fairly rigid, environmentally-friendly, scrunched-up paper.

“We used to use biodegradable packaging peanuts made from wheat starch,” says Sarah. “They came in massive bags taller than a person - frankly, it used to be a struggle to get them into the building. But EasyPack comes in rolls, so it's tidier for us and customers, and it can be popped in the cardboard recycling.”

Another material we love is Geami Paper – a recyclable alternative to bubble wrap.

“It uses a machine with a foot pedal, like a sewing machine,” says Sarah. “Bubble wrap wasn't so good for the environment, and meant we needed scissors on every desk. But you can cut Geami Paper with your hand and tuck it in at the ends.”

And there’s a real master stroke – the crosshatched texture which helps Geami Paper ‘stick’ to itself when it’s tucked in also means two wrapped products will hold together inside the box.

And of course, the principles we all know when packing our bags in the supermarket apply to Bettys parcels too.

“We pack heavy at the bottom and light at the top,” says Sarah. So when you open up your Easter delivery, you’ll probably see your Easter Egg first, and then discover the Simnel Cake nestled underneath.

“And we make sure we use good couriers,” she adds. “Once a package leaves us, it’s in the hands of delivery partners who know how important the contents are to us and our customers.”

Speaking of which, which egg would Sarah be hoping to unwrap on Easter morning?

“My favourite Easter Egg is the chocolate orange one,” she says. “I’m definitely a milk chocolate person and the combination of chocolate and orange is always a classic.”